Liquid fuel burning apparatus



June 12, 1962 R. L. sou: 3,038,

7 LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 12, 1962 GOLD 3,038,531

LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,038,531 LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS Richard Lucius Gold, Kings Heath, Birmingham, England, assignor to Joseph Lucas (Industries) Limited, Birmingham, England Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 69,016 3 Claims. (Cl. 158-76) This invention relates to liquid fuel burning apparatus of the kind comprising a cylindrical casing having an annular peripheral inlet for the admission of combustion air, a burner tube at the centre of the casing which is axially movable between operative and inoperative positions, a swirler at the inner end of the burner tube, a shutter movable axially to provide and close the annular inlet, and an axially movable tube surrounding the burner tube and carrying the shutter.

An example of such an apparatus is described in the specification of my co-pending application Serial No. 69,015 of even date and now abandoned, and the object of the present invention is to provide convenient means whereby the burner tube can be withdrawn from the apparatus for cleaning purposes.

According to the invention in apparatus of the kind specified the swirler incorporates means whereby it can be automatically disconnected from the burner tube and attached to a second tube by angular movement of the burn-er tube when the tubes are in one relative position.

An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a part sectional side elevation of sufficient of the apparatus for an understanding of the invention, and

FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5 are developed diagrammatic views of the means for supporting the swirler showing respectively four successive stages in the withdrawal of the burner tube.

Referring to the drawings the apparatus is as described in my co-pending application Serial No. 69,015 of even date, and comprises a casing having two stationary parts 6 and 8, the part 6 being of cylindrical form and being adapted for attachment to the wall 7 of a furnace, steam raising plant, or the like, whilst the other part 8 is of plate-like form, and is adapted to be attached to the front wall 9 of an air chest surrounding the cylindrical part. The part 8 serves as a closure for the outer end of the casing, and between the two parts of the casing is an annular peripheral inlet 10 (hereinafter described) through which combustion air can enter the casing from the air chest.

Mounted coaxially with the casing is a burner tube 11 which extends through the plate-like part 8, and which is movable axially between an operative position and an inoperative position by fluid actuated means (not shown). At the inner end of the burner tube is a burner nozzle 12 and surrounding this nozzle is an annular swirler 13 incorporating vanes for imparting a swirling motion to air passing through it.

Surrounding the burner tube 11 is a coaxial tube 14 which is movable axially with and relative to the burner tube 11 by the above mentioned fluid actuated means. This second tube carries at its inner end a bush 15 which is in contact with the burner tube, and which carries a spider 16, and on the spider is mounted a substantially cylindrical shutter 17 which extends coaxially from one end of the stationary cylindrical part 6 of the casing towards the stationary plate-like part -8 thereof, and which is axially movable with the second tube 14 in opposite directions, between the positions shown in full and chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 1, to provide and close the annular peripheral air inlet 10. On the outer end of the burner tube 11 is a handle 18 whereby the burner 3,938,531 Patented June 12, 1962 tube can be moved manually as hereinafter described.

In the periphery of the burner tube 11 are formed a plurality of L-shaped grooves 21 which, as shown in FIGURES 2 to 4, extend in part circumferentially and in part longitudinally relative to the burner tube, these grooves being closed at the outer ends of the circumferentially extending parts, and being open at the outer ends of the longitudinally extending parts which are directed towards the inner end of the burner tube.

The swirler 13 incorporates a central sleeve 19 surrounding the burner tube. In radial holes in the sleeve 19 are mounted a plurality of angularly spaced, and inwardly directed screw-threaded, or other pins 20 which at their inner ends normally engage the circumferentially extending parts of the L-shaped grooves 21 formed in the periphery of the burner tube 11. The grooves 21 in the burner tube are so disposed that air passing through the swirler will by its action upon the vanes tend to maintain the pins 20 against the closed ends of the grooves. Moreover, the length of the sleeve 19 is such that normally its outer end projects into an annular space between a portion of the bush 15 and the periphery of the burner tube. In this outer end portion of the sleeve 19 are formed a plurality of angularly spaced and longitudinally extending grooves 22 which are open at both ends, and which are adapted to receive respectively the inner ends of a similar number of inwardly directed screwthreaded or other pins 23 mounted in and extending through radial holes in the bush 15. From one side of each longitudinally extending groove 22, and at a position between the ends thereof, a branch groove 24 extends for a short distance circumferentially relative to the sleeve, and is closed at its outer end.

The branch grooves 24 are not aligned with the pins 23 (as shown in FIGURE 2) when the burner tube and swirler are in either their normal operative or normal inoperative position as determined by the fluid actuated means. 7

When, however, it is required to remove the burner tube from the apparatus for cleaning, a gland 25, which surrounds the portion of the burner tube adjacent the plate-like part 8 of the casing, is first removed. The burner tube can then be moved by hand axially outwards for a short distance beyond the normal inoperative position until the handle 18 bears against an arcuate abutment 26 carried from the part 8 of the casing. In this position the pins 23 in the bush 15 are aligned with the branch grooves 24 in the sleeve 19 as shown in FIGURE 3. If in this position angular movement in one direction is imparted to the burner tube the first effect will be for the tube to move relative to the sleeve 19 with the result that the pins 20 in the sleeve will assume positions aligned with the longitudinally extending parts of the grooves 21 in the burner tube as shown in FIGURE 4. Continued angular movement in this direction will then be imparted to the sleeve 19 with the result that the pins 23 will be caused to enter the branch grooves 24 in the sleeve as shown in FIGURE 5. At the same time the angular movement imparted to the burner tube will have freed the handle 18 from the arcuate abutment 26, so that the burner tube can be withdrawn entirely from the apparatus leaving the swirler 13 attached to the bush 15.

In order to prevent inadvertent angular movement of the sleeve 19 when it is attached to the bush 15, as shown in FIGURE 5, there is associated with each branch groove 24, at a position intermediate its ends, a laterally projecting and spring-loaded plunger 27 which requires to be depressed by the associated pin 23 before the latter can enter or leave the branch groove.

When the burner tube 11 is reinserted into the apparatus the longitudinally extending parts of its grooves 21 will re-engage with the pins 20 carried by the sleeve 19 incorporated with the swirler, and by subsequent angular movement of the burner tube in the opposite direction the swirler will be attached to it and detached automatically from the bush 15.

Conveniently, the bush 15 also incorporates an internal scraper 28 adapted to bear against the periphery of the burner tube so as to clean it during its axial movement.

By the present invention, therefore, the burner tube, although normally carrying the swirler 13 at its inner end, can be readily withdrawn for cleaning without removing the plate-like part 8 of the casing.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. Liquid fuel burning apparatus of the kind specified, comprising in combination a cylindrical casing having a stationary cylindrical part, a stationary plate-like part spaced from one end of said stationary cylindrical part, and a substantially cylindrical shutter which extends coaxially from the said end of said cylindrical part to wards said plate-like part, and which is axially movable in opposite directions to provide and close an annular air inlet between said plate-like part and said shutter, an axially and angularly movable burner tube which is mounted coaxially with said cylindrical casing and extends through said plate-like part, a second axially movable tube surrounding said burner tube and carrying said shutter, an annular air-swirler which is mounted on the end of said burner tube nearest to the stationary cylindrical part of said casing, and relative to which said burner tube is angularly movable about its axis, and connecting means including interengageable parts on said burner tube and said angular air-swirler, and additional interengagea-ble parts on said second tube and said annular air-swirler, whereby, when said burner tube and said second tube occupy predetermined relative positions, said air-swirler can be disconnected from said burner tube and attached to said second tube in response to angular movement of said burner tube in one direction, and can be attached to said burner tube and disconnected from said second tube in response to angular movement of said burner tube in the opposite direction.

2. Liquid fuel burning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprise in combination a central sleeve incorporated with said air-swirler, pins extending inwardly from said sleeve and engageable with L-shaped grooves which are formed in the outer periphery of said burner tube, and which extend in part circumferentially and in part longitudinally relative to said burner tube, a bush carried by said second tube, and additional pins extending inwardly from said bush and engageable with additional grooves which are formed in the outer periphery of said sleeve, and which are constituted by a plurality of spaced and open-ended grooves extending longitudinally relative to said sleeve, and by a corresponding number of branch grooves extending respectively from corresponding sides of the last mentioned longitudinally extending grooves in circumferential directions relative to said sleeve.

3. Liquid fuel burning apparatus according to claim 2, and having spring-loaded plungers extending into said branch grooves at positions intermediate their ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 305,140 Bradley Sept. 16, 1884 FOREIGN PATENTS 508,204 France July 19, 1920 

